There are several advantages to maintaining cool, moist skin while sunbathing. For one, the ability of the sunbather to endure the sun and heat greatly increases, thereby enabling him or her to absorb more of the sun's ultraviolet rays leading to a better tan. Even for those who are not interested in tanning per se, but who desire to remain outdoors merely to enjoy the sunny weather or a sporting event or the like, they are certainly better able to do so if maintained in a comfortable, cool condition. Another advantage lies in the generally accepted proposition that the maintenance of moist skin accelerates the tanning rate; thus, one who wishes to obtain the cosmetically pleasing effects of tanning, but who does not have an exorbitant amount of time for sunbathing, may be able to acquire a deeper, darker tan than otherwise possible in a limited amount of time.
Sunbathing apparatus incorporating means for cooling the user have been disclosed in the prior art. Typically, these devices comprise a cot or chaise lounge having a specially manufactured hollow, tubular frame attachable to a garden hose. Apertures along the frame cause the stream of water flowing through the frame from the hose to be divided into a number of streamlets for cooling the lounge occupant.
Although effective once operating, the aforementioned prior art devices are not only impractical, but are bulky and thus inconvenient to use in locations other than the yard at home or any other location not in close proximity to the storage place for the apparatus. The impracticality results from a lack of versatility; that is, the entire lounge chair operates as the cooling device, thereby rendering it inoperable if the chair frame or a chair leg breaks.
In consideration of the above-described problems with the prior art, Schmidt disclosed a sprinkling device which is attachable to a variety of lawn chairs in U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,357. Schmidt invented a U-shaped, flexible tube attachable to a lawn chair and having water emitting apertures for directing sprays of water toward the occupant. A control valve is used to turn on and off the water supply to the tube. As the only available control mechanism for regulating the flow of water, Schmidt's valve is inconvenient to use because the occupant may have to twist and to reach through water spray or even to get up to turn the device off. Additionally, there are only two available settings, on or off.
None of the prior art devices disclose a simple yet effective drain for maintaining a constant supply of cool water even while the sunbather is not using the water sprays. Rather, most of these devices incorporate a control valve for turning the sprays on and off so that when the user shuts off the cooling device by closing the valve, the water in the garden hose and attached frame or tubing becomes heated by the sun. Subsequently, upon opening the valve, the supply of water first meeting the user's skin is warm or hot depending on the heating period, thus defeating the purpose of the cooling device.
An improved lawn chair sprinkling or misting device is needed which will not only overcome the limitations of the prior art, but which will incorporate additional features providing further comfort and convenience. The improved misting device should be readily adaptable for use on a wide variety of lawn chairs or chaise lounges or the like. Means for controlling the amount and pressure of water to the user which is easily accessible and convenient to use should be provided. Further, the improved cooling device should be adaptable for use with different types of water supplies. Still further, means for keeping a constant supply of cool water readily available to the user is needed.